Provided by the present invention is a PVA having highly harmonized adequate water solubility, thickening property and coating film strength, and having superior storage stability in terms of the viscosity in an aqueous solution. A vinyl alcohol polymer having a ratio (Mw (A)/Mn (A)) of the weight average molecular weight (Mw (A)) to the number average molecular weight (Mn (A)) of 3 or greater and 8 or less, and being capable of giving a vinyl alcohol polymer having a ratio (Mw/Mn) of a weight average molecular weight (Mw) to a number average molecular weight (Mn) of 2 or greater and less than 3 when treated at 40° C. for 1 hour in a sodium hydroxide solution.